Continuous press



March 23 1926 A. COLUMBRO CONTINUOUS PRESS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, 1924 l l h ll l ll l l u4 l -l' March 23 1926.

A. COLUMBRO commuous mass 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1924 E. p m

L1. 4 w o\ g m m .m w x U B m n M a J U N L L F n n p J m mm 1 O L 811 w w E 6 N A March 23 1926.

A. COLUMBRO CONTINUOUS PRE'SS Filed Feb. 26, 1924 4 SheetS- SheetFS March 23,1926. I 1,577,519 A. COLUMBRO CONTINUOUS PRESS ANsELQ COLUMBRQ,

Guaran Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

PATENT oFric-E.

ANGELO COLUMBRO, F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CONTINUOUS PRESS.

Application filed. February 26, 1924. Serial No. 695,269.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANGELO. CoLUMBRo, a citizen of United States, residing at Gleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous Presses, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The present invention relates to presses, and aims to provide a continuous press of novel and improved construction.

One object of the invention is the provision of endless chains of novel construction for obtaining the pressure between them, and another object, in this connection, is the provision of novel means-for guiding and pressing together the adjacent runs of said chains. v

A still further object is theprovision of novel means for supporting and guiding the filter cloth where it enters the pressing means.

It is also an object of the invention to improve the machine generally in its construction and details, to. enhance the utility and efiiciency thereof.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in. the accompanying drawings, wherein.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, shown somewhat diagrammatically.

Fig, 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation showing details of the chain guiding and actuating. means. r

Fig.3 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. lvis an enlarged section on the line 14 of Fig. 1. V

Fig 5 is a detail. plan view showing the connection between one presser bar and corresponding worm.

Fig. 6, is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a ol an view showing the supporting and gui ing means for the filter cloth where it enters the pressing means.

Figs. 8 and 9. are cross sections in the respective lines 8 8 and 9-9 of Fig. 7.

The machine, as shown, is built for expressing juice, liquid or moisture from various materials and products, such as fruit, berries, vegetables, grain, seed, peat, etc., but the machine can be built and used for other purposes also, other than for expressing, as will hereinafter appear.

A suitable frame 10 is provided, which, as shown, is built of structural iron or steel, in which are mounted the endless presser chains '11 and 1,2. As shown, there are three superposed pairs of such chains, each pair including an upper chain 11 and a lower chain 12, and any suitable number of pairs of chains can be used. By employing the superposed pairs of chains, the length of the machine can be shortened, instead of using a'single pair of chains of greater length, although one or more pairs of chains can be used according to the requirements and conditions, the several pairs of chains being duplicates of one another.

Each chain 11 and 12 is composedof a series. of transverse presser bars 13 arranged closely together, and said bars are preferably of wood, although they may be of other suitable material. On the end portions of said bars, which are preferably of reduced size, are fitted metal end pieces 14, v

and they are bolted or otherwise removably secured to the bars. The end pieces 14E have the cars 15 at opposite sides overlapping one another and pivoted together in order to hingedly connect the bars 13 of each chain.

Each chain of bars 13 passes around polygonal sprocket wheels 16 at the opposite limits of travel of the chain, and said sprocket wheels are mounted on transverse shafts 17 which are journaled in bearings 18 secured to the frame 10 near the opposite ends of said frame.

hen using the machine as a filter press for expressing juice, liquid or moisture from the material, an endless sheet 19 of porous or foraminous material is used to pass between the chains for confining the material therein and filtering thev juiceor liquid. The sheet or cloth 19 is guided by guide rollers 20 at the forward or receiving end of the machine, and is guided by guide rollers 21 at the rear or discharge end of the machine, said sheet passing between the pairs of chains in succession, in a zig-zag path, from the lower pair of chalns upward, in the arrangement as shown.

The sheet is folded, so as to surround the material transversely in the pressing means, in order to confine the material in the sheet during the pressing operation, so that only the juice or liquid can pass out. The sheet is folded by folding the edge portions thereof upwardly into overlapping relation. A former 22 of sheet metal is located at the mouth or entrance of the pressing means (at the forward end of the first or lower pair of chains), to assist in folding or forming the sheet where it enters the pressing means, the folding of the sheet being apparent by reference to Figs. 7 and 8. The former 22 is supported from the forward end of the frame 10 in any suitable manner, and said former has a channelshaped extension 28 projecting between the forward portions of the first pair of chains, to support the sheet up to the point where it comes to rest on the lower chain, and said extension 23 will also conduct any juice or liquid from the former 22 into the em trance of the pressing means.

In order to support and guide the sheet 19 adjacent to the former 22, where the sheet moves into the pressing means, an endless belt 24 of fabric or other suitable material is mounted on rollers 25 with its upper run substantially flush with the bottom of the former 22, so that the sheet 19 can lay on the upper run of the belt in moving into and through the former. The belt can move with the sheet, so as to reduce friction, and enable the sheet, with the material thereon, to move freely into the pressing means. The belt 24 is located below the ginder or cusher 26 in which the material is ground or crushed into a pulp, and the ground material or pulp drops onto the sheet 19 where it passes over the belt 24, so that the belt serves to support the sheet and material. The edge portions of the sheet are folded upwardly and inwardly as the sheet moves over the belt 24 and under the grinder or crusher 26, so that the sheet is folded around the material as -the sheet and material move through the former 22 and into the pressing means.

A pan 27 is disposed under and around the apron 24, for catching any juice or liquid which runs through the sheet before entering the former 22, and the rollers 25 can be journaled in bearings carried by the sides of the pan, as seen in Fig. 7.

The fruit, berries, or any other material to be pressed, is delivered or fed uniformly to the machine by a continuous feeder comprising an inclined tube 28 in which a screw or worm 29 turns for elevating the material in said tube, and the upper end of the tube has a down-turned spout 30 for delivering the material into the grinder or crusher 26. The tube 28 has a hopper 31 near its lower end into which the material is dumped, and from which the material is elevated by the screw or worm 29 with a contant steady flow. The screw 29 is rotated by suitable gearing or actuating means 31.

The sheet- 19 is unfolded or pened out where it leaves the pressing means (at the rear end of the upper or last pair of chains), and a suitable scraper 32 is provided for scraping any pulp or material that may cling to the surface of the sheet 19, most of the pulp or material dropping from the sheet where it passes around the first roller 21.

A suitable beater 33 is also provided for beating the sheet 19 to loosen and heat away any particles of pulp which remain on the sheet after passing the scraper 32. As shown, the beater 33 comprises a rotary drum 34 to which heater arms are loosely connected, whereby said heater arms are thrown outwardly by centrifugal force to strike the sheet: 19 at that side opposite to the side against which the material lays in going through the press.

After passing the beater, the sheet 19 is preferably washed. so that the ren'iaining fine particles of pulp can be dissolved or washed from the sheet. Thus, the sheet passes through a tank 36 at the bottom of the machine, which contains hot water or a solution, suitable rollers 37 being provided for guiding the sheet down through the water or solution. 7

An air suction fan or pump 88 can be provided beyond the tank 36 for drawing air through the sheet, in order to draw moisture and particles from the sheet, and to assist in drying the sheet before it again enters the pressing means.

Instead of driving the chains 1.1 and 12 from the sprocket wheels 16, which involves difliculties, because of slippage and irregular movements, said sprocket wheels are idlers, and the chains are actuated by Worms or screws 40, there being a worm at each edge or side of the adjacent runs of each pair of chains. The actuating means for each pair of chains is of the same construction, so that a description in connection with one pair of chains will be suflicient. The shafts of the worms 40 are journaled inthe frame 10 at the sides thereof by suitable bearings, and all of the worms 40 are driven simultaneously. Thus. worm wheels 41 are secured on the shafts of the worms 40, at the rear end of the frame, and said Wheels 41 engage worms 42 secured on transverse shafts 4?). Worm wheels 44 are secured on the shafts 43 and mesh with worms 45 secured on a vertical shaft 46 journaled in bearings at one side of the frame 10. The upper end iii) of the shaft -16 isgeared, as at rate. a drive wheels 41 and 1% provide reduction gearing, whereby the worms are rotated at the desired speed to move the chains 11 and 12- .at a corresponding speed.

The end pieces let of the bars 13 of the lowerchain 12 of each pair of chains are provided with extensions or half nuts .51 which. at the upper run of the chain 12, engage the lower halves of the cor-responding worms 40, while the end pieces Hot the bars 13 of the upper chain 11 of each pair have the extensions or half nuts 52 engaging the upper halves of the worms 40, whereby the adjacent runs ofthe chains are moved longitudinally bythe screw actions of the worms, and each bar 13 is individually moved by the worms, thus relieving the chains of strains and stresses, such as would be the case it the chains were actuated by the sprocket wheels. -The individual driving of -each presser bar which engages the sheet will also relieve the sheet of tearing or frictional strains because both of the adjacent runs of each pair of chains are moved uniformly and without; relative longitudinal motion.

Inasmuch as the bars 13 of the upper chain 11 of each pair of chains are movable vertically to aecommodatevarying thicknesses of material. between the chains, the half nuts 52'are shifted upwardly and clownwardly'relatively to the worms 410, and provision is made to keep the bars of the upper chain in effective connection with the worms. Thus, half nut portions or members 53 are pivoted, as at 54, to the half nuts 52, and are swung by means o-l" springs 55 of any suitable kind, whereby the members 53 are yieldingly adjustable, said members and halfnuts 52' being adapted to fit snugly be tween the convolutions of the worms, and when the bars 13 of the lower run of the upper chain are raised, as suggested in Fig. 6, the springs 55 hold the members 53 down against the worms. The members 53 receive the pressure from the worms, and overlap the half nuts 52, so as to apply the pressure to the end pieces 14 without relative longitudinal movement between the upper and lower chains, although the adjacent runs of said chains may move toward and away from one another as the depth or thickness of the material between the chains varies.

Thead'jacent runs of each pair of chains are guided by the lower and upper longitudinal series of rollers 56 and 57, respectively. The rollers 56 and 57 are located adjacent to the opposite ends of the bars 13, for the contact of the end pieces 14 of The worms 42 and t5 and corresponding worm.

the bars, and said end pieces. have flanges 58 to be disposed at the opposite sides of the rollers, to assist in guiding the bars 13.. The sprocket wheels 16 are also. so arranged that the end pieces 1 1 of the bars 13 engage the peripheries of the sprocket wheels, with the flanges 58 at the opposite sides of the sprocket wheels, as seen in Fig. 4. The bars 13 of the lower chain 12 move over the lower roller-s56, while the bars 13 of the upper chain 11 move under the rollers 57, whereby said rollers hold the adjacent runs of the chains together.

The series of rollers 56 are mounted on axles 63 having their ends engaged in apertures provided in pairs of longitudinal rails 61, which extend from one end of the machine to the other, whereby the upper bars 13 of the lower chain 12 are supported in the same plane. Each pair of rails, or bars 61 is secured by bolts 62 within U-shaped supports spaced apart longitudinally of the machine, and bolted or otherwise secured on cross beams. 59 of the flame 10. The rollers 56 are thus supported from the frame, for supporting the upper run of the lower chain 12 against depression, and the presser bars can move freely over th rollers 56 with minimum friction and noise.

The rollers 57 of each longitudinal series are mounted on axles 64 which have their ends engaged in apertures in pairs of bars or rails 65 of short length arranged end to end. The rails or bars 61 are continuous from one end to the other, whereas the bars of the upper rollers 57 are divided at longitudinally spaced points, and each unit carries several rollers, whereby the units can swing relatively to one another in a vertical plane in which the rollers are dis posed. The end portions of the bars 65 pivotally engage bolts or pivot members; 66 extending through U-shaped hangers or supportingmembers 67, which serve to hingedly connect the adjacent ends of the bars 65. The hangers 67 are bolted or otherwise secured to cross or transverse beams 68 which are mounted for vertical movement. The end portions of the beams 68 are guided vertically between vertical guides 69 secured to longitudinal side members 70 of the frame, and pieces 71 are secured to the beams 68 and bear against the guide memhers 69 to prevent endwise movement of the beams 68.

The beams 68 are yieldingly depressed, for similarly depressing the rollers 57 and lower run of the upper chain 11, to supply the pressure for pressing the material between the chains. Thus, vertical rods 72 extend through apertures in'the beams 59 and 6S outwardly beyond the worms 40, and have heads or nuts 73 at their lower ends seating upwardly against thebeams 59.. Washers or disks 7&- are disposed on said rods above the beams 68, and seat against nuts 7 5 screwthreaded on the upper terminals of the rod 72, and coiled springs 76 are confined between the disks 7% and beams 68, to depress said beams under considerable pressure. The pressure is regulated by adjusting the nuts 75.

Below the upper run of each lower chain 12 is a pan 77 for catching the juice or liquid which is expressed from the material, and the sides of the pans 77 extend close adjacent to the rollers 56, while the ends of the pans extend between the sprocket wheels 16. The juice or liquid can be discharged from the pans by suitable sprouts or troughs. As shown, troughs 78 are inserted transversely in the frame 10 between some of the beams 59, and can extend to either side for discharging the nice or liquid. The extension 2370f the former 22 projects over the lower trough 77, so that any juice in the former 22 will be caught in the lower pan, while juice or liquid running from the forward end of the former 22 will drop into the pan 27.

The bars 13 have grooves 79 extending across same near the end pieces 14 and beyond the folds of the sheet 19, to prevent the juice or liquid from running along the bars to the end pieces 14, and the juice which flows along the bars beyond the folds of the sheet, will drip from the bars at the grooves 79.

In operation, the fruit, vegetables, cotton seed, or other material from which juice, oil or other liquid or moisture is to be pressed, is dumped into the hopper 31, and the screw 29 will elevate the material with a steady flow as the machine operates. The material delivered by the feeder drops from the sprout 30 into the grinder or crusher 26. which may be of any suitable kind, to grind, cut up or crush the material into a fine pulp or mass. The chains 11 and 12 and sheet 19 continue to move, and the pulp or material which is dropped from the grinder 26 falls on the moving sheet 19 above the belt 2 1, and as the material moves with the sheet into the former, the sheet is folded upon itself around the material. The material in the folded sheet passes between the lower pair of chains first, to receiver the first pressure, and the folded sheet with the material therein passes in succession through the second and third pairs of chains in a zigzag path. The material can receive increasing pressure as it passes through the successive pairs of chains, the greatest pressure being obtained as the material passes through the last pair of chains. In this way, difierent grades of juice or liquid can be obtained in the several pans 77. The bars have a floating motion, inasmuch as they can move upwardly and downwardly and can swing relatively to one another about the transverse pivots 66, in order-that the bars 13 of the upper chains 11 can accommodate varying depths or thicknesses of material between the chains. However, the material being supplied with a constant uniform stream, will provide a fairly uniform thickness of ma terial in the folded sheet, the thickness decreasing as the folded sheet and material pass through the successive pairs of chains and receive gradually increasing pressures, When the sheet emerges from the last pair of chains, it is unfolded or opened out, and the pulp on the sheet drops therefrom when the sheet passes down over the first roller 21. The scraper 32 removes material clinging to the sheet, and the beater 33 beats the sheet to assist in dislodging particles of material which remain on the sheet. After passing the beater, the sheet passes through the water or solution in the tank 36 and then passes the suction fan or pump 38. The sheet then continues on under the grinder 26 and into the pressing means with a circuitous motion.

The machine can not only be used for.

expressing juice, liquid or moisture from different materials, but can also be used for compressing hay, peat, straw, and other materials. For compressing some materials between a pair of the chains, the sheet 19 may be omitted and other obvious changes made.

The present machine is an improvement over the press disclosed in my application Serial No. 794:,287, filed October 9, 1913.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. A continuous press comprising a frame, a pair of endless chains of presser bars mounted in the frame, and means carried by the frame for guiding and holding together the adjacent runs of said chains, said means of one chain including bars ex tending longitudinally of the chain and arranged end to end, members to which the adjacent ends of said bars are pivotally connected, means for guiding said members for movement toward and away from the other chain, rollers carried by said bars between said members to contact with the firstnamed chain, and spring means urging said members toward the lastnamed chain.

2. A continuous press comprising a frame, a pair of endless chains of presser bars, mounted in the frame, and means carried by the frame for guiding and holding together the adjacent runs of said chains, said means of one chain including bars extending longitudinally of the chain and having portions to contact with the chain, members to which the adjacent end portions of said bars are pivotally connected, cross beams to which said members are secured, means for guiding said beams for movement toward and away from the other chain, and springs urg ing said beams toward said other chain.

3. A continuous press comprising a frame, a pair of endless chains of presser bars mounted in said frame, the frame having cross beams, rollers to contact with the 0pposite sides of the adjacent runs of the chains, means for supporting the rollers of one chain from said beams, bars carrying the rollers of the other chain and extending longitudinally of said chain, cross beams guided by the frame for movement toward and away from the firstnamed chain, means for hingedly connecting said bars with one another and with the second named beams, rods extending through the firstnamed and second named beams, and springs assembled with said rods for applying spring pressure to the secondnamed beams.

4. A continuous press comprising pressing means, a sheet for receiving material thereon and to enter the pressing means, means independent of said pressing means for supporting said sheet from a point where it receives the material to a point near the entry of the sheet into the pressing means and movable with the sheet toward the pressing means, and forming means between the pressing and supporting means for folding the sheet around the material when leaving the supporting means and entering the pressing means.

5. A continuous press comprising pressing means, a sheet for receiving material thereon and to enter the pressing means, an endless belt supported with its upper run arranged to support the sheet from the point Where it receives the material to a point near the entry of the sheet into the pressing means so that the upper run of the belt is movable with the sheet toward the pressing means, and forming means between said belt and pressing means to fold the sheet around the material after leaving the belt and before'entering the pressing means.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

ANGELO COLUMBRO. 

